{"id":764,"date":"2019-05-02T18:07:24","date_gmt":"2019-05-02T18:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/05\/02\/wqun-going-radio-silent\/"},"modified":"2020-09-05T19:30:40","modified_gmt":"2020-09-05T19:30:40","slug":"wqun-going-radio-silent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/05\/02\/wqun-going-radio-silent\/","title":{"rendered":"WQUN just weeks away from going radio silent"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Emma Spagnuolo<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Outside the WQUN studios in Hamden, Connecticut.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Abandoned cars. Streets closed. Locals forced to walk back to their homes. Holly Masi reflects on the one-year anniversary of the unexpected and destructive tornado that ripped through her hometown of Hamden, Connecticut last May. Masi was fortunate enough to not lose power, but many of her friends that live in northern Hamden did not have that same fortune. Luckily for Masi and other Hamden residents, there is always one reliable outlet for local news and information, even in times of emergency, Quinnipiac University\u2019s commercial AM radio station, WQUN.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not going to get the same up-to-date coverage on a statewide level, \u201c said Masi, \u201cThe fact that I had local radio to tune into – that was critical to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Masi is unsure, however, of where she\u2019ll turn for guidance when the next major storm or outage hits, as nearly three months ago, Quinnipiac University officials announced that WQUN would be shutting down this summer.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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Masi\u2019s petition, which she created in February, has since collected over 1,000 signatures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

In a statement emailed to the university community, Lynn Bushnell, Vice President for Public Affairs, wrote, \u201cThis difficult decision was made after careful consideration of our first priority, the needs of our students. The number of students who even consider a career in radio, or want to intern at WQUN-AM has declined sharply, prompting the university to re-examine the prudence of contributing to operate a community radio station.\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision to close WQUN sparked anger in the community, which is why Masi, a lifelong Hamden resident and the town\u2019s Zoning Enforcement Officer, decided to create a petition<\/a> in an attempt to save the station. Since it was created in February, Masi\u2019s petition has racked up over 1,000 supporters. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I heard that it was closing, something sunk in me,\u201d said Masi, \u201cIt just seemed like one of those decisions that was like, there\u2019s just no way to wrap your head around it. I\u2019ve not run into one person that hasn\u2019t had the same reaction, so I just was sitting at home and I started the petition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her petition pulled support from all facets of the community, from Hamden residents, to Quinnipiac students and even town officials, including Mayor Curt Leng. Mayor Leng even left a comment on the petition in support of the station writing, \u201cThis is an incredible community resource, the Public Safety centerpiece, I\u2019m hopeful that the university rethink this shortsighted decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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WQUN\u2019s mission statement, which was introduced in 1997 when the station first took to the airwaves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Though Bushnell cited that the decision to shut down the station was influenced by the changing needs of students, the initial reason why WQUN was established, however, was not for students at all. In fact, according to the station\u2019s original mission statement, it serves to connect Quinnipiac to the Hamden\/ New Haven community. <\/p>\n

On top of the original mission statement, a 1997 New York Times article<\/a> further reported that WQUN was designed to connect the university to the community. It stated, \u201cstudents at Quinnipiac are not the station\u2019s primary audience; rather, the entire New Haven area is, encompassing 15 towns.\u201d In the article, Michael Collins, former WQUN station manager, indicated that the station\u2019s focus would be on \u201ccommunity activities – on positive things.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Quinnipiac\u2019s official website<\/a>, WQUN has now been serving the local New Haven area for over 20 years. The station also \u201centertains audiences with a variety of music from the \u201860s through the \u201880s, as well as Bobcats sports, local traffic and weather, and award-winning local news.\u201d<\/p>\n

WQUN currently features radio shows like The Morning Show with Ray Andrewsen and Lunch with Landry, which highlight community leaders and elected officials, showcase local small businesses and community events and even broadcast information related to Quinnipiac. Not to mention, the station serves as a source for Quinnipiac athletic broadcasts.<\/p>\n